User Review

7.4

Tetris is one of the most recognizable Nintendo games on the market, and it has been ever since its release on the original Gameboy. Often imitated but never duplicated, this block building game has achieved a near cult status throughout the world. However, you've never really played Tetris until you've played it in 3D.

The Nintendo DS is one of the big handheld game systems that has taken the baton from the old fashioned Gameboy. Still portable, but with a slightly bulkier design, the latest version allows players to enjoy Tetris in 3D. While it is a bit of a gimmick, it does add an extra something to the Tetris experience. A touch of depth as players build blocks and try to make sure that every row is as complete as it can get.

Additional Modes and Features

Tetris is Tetris, there's no two ways about it. Players stack blocks and try to make complete rows, which then vanish. The pieces come faster and faster until, eventually, the screen fills up and the game is over. However, Tetris 3DS does offer players some new ways to play the game, even if it doesn't change the rules of Tetris all by itself.

For instance, Tetris 3DS offers twenty different gameplay modes, which is nothing to sneeze at. For players who are only used to one, or three at the most, it can take a lot of time just to explore all of these different options. In addition to all these different gameplay modes, Tetris 3DS also includes features that would have been impossible before the dawn of wireless technology and the connectivity it offers. Thanks to wireless technology though players can now go head to head without having to hook their DS controllers together. As many as 8 players at a time can play the same round of Tetris, with only the best pack rat left standing at the end of the game! It's a kind of competition that Tetris has never allowed for in any other, previously released version.

So What Are You Buying?

Tetris 3DS is a unique twist on a classic game. It offers players the ability to game in 3D, it has challenge modes, allows your games to be seen around the world and it can rank you in any Tetris community you join. However, for players that aren't interested in all the extra gameplay modes and challenges, it is at its core still just Tetris.

Players have to carefully consider this when they're thinking about shelling out cash for a new game. On the one hand, if players really want to get involved in the challenges of Tetris, and they like the idea of competing with other players real time in their local areas, then Tetris 3DS is a great game for those players to invest in. However, for people who just want to play Tetris and who don't have interest in the other features, it might be a bit expensive for simple tastes.

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7.1

F1 2011 is a motorsports racing game that can be played on the 3DS gaming console. The game, produced by Codemasters, is based on the Formula One World Championship racing series. F1 2011 comes with official licenses for the 2011 Formula One World Championship, which means all of the tracks and drivers from the 2011 season are present in the game.

Quick Race -

This is the quickest mode in F1 2011, where a player selects a driver and the track on which they want to race. Qualifying and the practice sessions are skipped, so that it goes straight to race action.

Time Trial -

The time trial mode allows players to set their fastest lap times on any of the official 2011 Formula One tracks. Lap times are saved so that progress can be tracked, and lap times can also be submitted to online leader boards.Cars are automatically set up to be as fast as possible during the time trial, with tire wear not being an issue.

Grand Prix -

This mode allows a user to get the full F1 Grand Prix experience. After the driver and race track have been selected, the race length and various other settings can be adjusted. In the Grand Prix experience, there are two practice sessions, the qualifying session, and the race. Car settings can be adjusted for optimum performance during the practice sessions and at the start of qualifying.

Career -

This is the most comprehensive mode in F1 2011. The career mode begins with a player entering his or her personal information, real of fictional. Once a team is selected, the F1 season can begin. The team will lay out the expectations for each qualifying session and race. Those drivers who perform well throughout the season will receive offers from teams of higher caliber in the off season. The objective of career mode is to get to drive one of the fastest cars on the grid (Ferrari, McLaren or Red Bull) and to win the F1 World Championship.

Championship -

Multiplayer

There are two multiplayer modes, the local mode and the online mode. Locally, games can be set up through LAN or WiFi connections, enabling players to race with their friends. The online mode consists of various race lobbies where players can join in and compete with others from around the world.

F1 2011 is one of the best racing games available on the 3DS. This is a game that can be enjoyed by F1 enthusiasts and first timers alike. By setting the difficulty level to your preference, you can enjoy the game the way you desire. If you are playing a F1 game for the first time, "easy" is the way to go. For those who want a serious challenge, the "hard" or "expert" difficulty levels will certainly provide that.

The one downside to this game is the car handling. Compared to other racing games on the 3DS, F1 2011 veers to the side of simulation. This can make for a challenging handling experience, especially if you have never played the game.

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7.7

Some fans may have argued that the Resident Evil franchise started to steer away from it's roots beginning with Resident Evil 4 and the game developers also noticed this. Resident Evil Revelations takes the Resident Evil franchise back to it's roots. Players will have limited resources to draw from but will also face gaming moments that are chilling and will encounter monsters closeup. These techniques help to create a panicked, survival horror feeling that sticks with gamers and forces them to play the game strategically. Alongside the improvement to how the game is played, the developers also spent a lot of time detailing and texturing the monsters in the game, the characters and even down to the details of the environment itself.

Revelations takes players aboard the Queen Zenobia ship that is outside of the Arklay Mansion. Because of this, the ship's environment makes for very creepy game environments. Players are faced with dark hallways, rooms and will at times feel very uncomfortable. This eerie feeling will keep players ready and waiting for the moment they may need to fend off something. The game's sound also adds to the creepy nature of the environment. There are many moments when the game can be silent and then all of a sudden a breeze will howl through the corridors or a creature will let out a painful, scary moan off in the distance. Because of the sounds combined with the way the game plays, it will make for a truly scary experience that will freak people out and even leave some people on the edge's of their seats.

While the traditional zombies in the game have been replaced by another threat, the nature of the other threat is essentially the same as zombies. The Ooze as they are called were designed to become a biological super weapon; however after things went wrong the bodies are now lifeforms with the sole purpose of attacking and eating living beings. Besides these basic creatures, there are also other environmental elements in the gameplay that will leave people scared. The levels of the game are designed into chapters and some of the chapters end with a boss that the player must defeat. Once the chapter has been completed, the player may also choose a different character to continue with their own specific story.

This version of Resident Evil stays true to the standard controls from the previous games. This allows players to stop moving while they shoot or they may also strafe while shooting, dodge or aim their weapon. While the player can control their own actions, the same is not true for the CPU-controlled ally the player will eventually come into contact with. However, the A.I. of the ally does successfully help the player against enemies and won't unnecessarily use precious items or ammunition. Although the ally may help the player, they don't really cause that much damage to enemies so the player will more than likely have to finish the fight. This technique allows the player to get some help when needed but still allows them to feel scared knowing that the threat is still great to them.

There are a couple changes made to the co-operative mode of the game. For example, players can't play together in the main story but they may connect together online and use the Raid Mode feature. The Raid Mode allows two players to play together on certain stages of the game with stronger enemies and changes made to the regular level. Upon passing these stages, the players are given rewards points they can use to buy game weapons and items.

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7.0

If there is only one constant in the video game industry, it is certainly Call of Duty. The series, which originated on the PC in 2003, took off in 2007 with the release of the original Modern Warfare. Since then, Activision has taken great advantage of its new cash-cow, releasing a new title every year, and making sure that no newly released console goes without a version of the franchise.

And so of course Activision had a version of Black Ops II ready for the release of the Wii U. The game's single player campaign is a direct sequel to the original Black Ops, and alternatively takes place in the near-future world of 2025 and the late 1980s. The 1980s directly feature the characters from the first Black Ops,, while the near-future setting features Mason's son David. To be completely honest, the story is relatively bland and full of military tropes, but there is one incredibly impressive thing about it.

Instead of just presenting a linear "Run from A to B" experience, the developers over at Treyarch have implemented player choices, and even more impressively, they have actually made these choices matter. It's hard to give examples without spoiling the game, but there will often be choices that are not presented as such to the player which is particularly impressive even when compared to games with much better stories.

Since this is a Treyarch Call of Duty, the Zombies mode also makes a return, with a new "TranZit" mode that places you and co-op buddies on a bus that makes its way down the road as you fight off more and more zombies along the way. It certainly ads an interesting twist to Zombies, but it sort of remains the same thing it always was.

The multiplayer ends up working just about the same as it always has as well, with a few major changes. Most importantly, class creation is now handled with what Treyarch has coined the "Pick 10 System", which allows you to pick exactly 10 items. Everything is included, from the core weapon and its attachments to every single perk you take. As a result of this system you can also eliminate entire categories of weapons, even eliminate your main weapon entirely, opting for a knife instead, in order to make room for more perks and grenades. While it might not sound like much, this system allows for far more experimentation than the old system did, and therefore more variation in the other players you encounter.

To be completely honest, I was shocked by how good Black Ops II ended up being. I expected a fully competent game, but Treyarch surprised me by putting far more effort into both the single player and multiplayer than they needed to, and its fantastic to see someone actually trying to make this franchise better instead of just endlessly iterating on the same basic ideas over and over again like Infinity Ward seems to love doing with the games they release.

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7.1

If you ever had owned and loved a tamagotchi before, with its pixelized characters and cutey beeping sounds, chances are you are gonna enjoy the virtual pet game from Sony: the EyePet. The pet you will take care of in here is a quirky combination of a puppy, monkey, and kitten, but the result is a certified ball of cuteness and wide eyed curiosity. True enough, the game uses the innovative motion sensing capabilities of the PS3 Eye camera and the Playstation Move control to create an immersive experience. Though the game lacks individuality and a real sense of growth, I had enjoyed my time with it a lot.

First things first, one of the 1st things you will be taught is how to position correctly the Playstation Eye camera for your optimal gaming experience. When you have done so, you name your pet (mine is Brutos) and wait for its egg to hatch. Actually, you will be in charge of the hatching process by holding the Move controller upright and using it to heat up the egg. Once hatched, move the controller back and forth to rock it. There is no tutorial mode, so you will encounter a lot of trial and errors.

Playing with your pet is really enjoyable: you tickle it, push it around, chase him around your room like a simpleton running after nothing. – and all of these can be achieved with the use of the controller, or with your own hands! Reach out your hands and watch your pet jump. It is very exciting to interact with a virtual pet. You get all the fun minus the dirty things normal pets do.

There is no real reward for playing with your pet – neither does neglecting it. If you leave it for a very long time, the only change will be a fire buzzing in its head and it occasionally drags it food bowl, looking at it longingly. Do what you should do as a responsible virtual pet owner or not, your pet will still play with you when you want to. Some may find this a bore, but this is exactly the feature that I liked.

7.4

The Star Ocean series is all about degradation of our beloved home world and with the extinction of the human race. After a great war on earth where nuclear powers were used, the last remaining human population started an adventure in outer space in search for a new dwelling place. Other remaining survivors are left to live underground but eventually leave for outer space years later.

On their search for a new planet, the accidentally crash on a nearby planet that is inhabited by dangerous life-forms. From there, their quest to take over the planet starts. Part of your main quest will be to eliminate all evil creatures and explore the newly discovered world. Expect to continue killing the aliens until you are strong enough to push through uncharted territories.

As you move through one map to another, you will be able to save the map with a save point and can be able to regain health from healing spots that are scattered all over the map. You will need to keep beating low level monsters as well – which may prove to be a bit boring because they are easy to kill, in order to level up and in order to gain the required power for the next map or level. In addition, you might want to check out every inch of the map because some may contain hidden treasures, item piece, and other essential goodies that may prove useful to you for the preceding levels.

The cool graphics include its amazing environment such as overgrown wilds, icy mountains, sandy beaches, as well as technology-laden city corridors and a whole lot more where most of your battles will take place. Combat is the number one aspect of The Last Hope that should be considered because it showcases accurate movements and detailed action while beating random alien monsters. This game is for sure something you do not want to miss!

7.6

Damage Inc Pacific Squadron WWII is a fun an interactive flight-combat simulation game where you pilot a plane through various combat missions in the Pacific during World War Two. You can pick from over thirty historically accurate aircraft as you fly and fight your way through the epic battles of World war Two from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima. This is a single or multi player game that you can play online which means you can engage with dogfights or fly in coop missions with other members of your battalion.

It comes with over 12 hours of combat missions, so you won't get bored. The more missions you complete, the more points you will get. You can use these point to get different planes and better armor. It's designed so you really feel like you are sitting in the cockpit experiencing combat.

There are many different game modes to keep you engaged. Some of the more interesting ones are:

Dogfight - Solo missions, perform numerous feats to stay in the air.

Team Dogfight - You work as a team and try and stay alive.

Survivor - You get a number of lives and once they're gone, you're gone.

Team Survivor - Same as survivor except you're part of a team.

Scratch One Flattop which is based on Admiral Robert E. Dixon's famous cry as he had bombed one Japanese carrier after another. You'll be carrying out his battle cry as you go after your own Japanese destroyers.

Pros:

Historically accurate battles, landscapes and aircraft.

Three types of combat-air to air, air to ship and air to ground.

Choose Arcade mode when just learning and switch over to sim when you're ready to pilot yourself.

Cons:

Graphics are not sophisticated and while historically accurate the landscapes up close look decidedly low budget.

The flight stick it comes with is not great at controlling action.

Sound can be repetitious.

In terms of the cons, you'll probably be more engaged with combat than perusing the landscape so the graphics are probably not as important as you think they are. And although, it sometimes comes bundled with the compatible with a Flight Stick Controller, you can play Damage Inc Pacific Squadron WWII with the ordinary handheld Playstation 3 controller. That said, if you're serious about this game, a controller is a must have.

In terms of the sound, you'll probably too engaged with not getting hit than to comment on the sound-you can always turn it down.

Despite the cons, this is one of the few flight combat games that can be played with up to eight people online. It also gives you a sense of how much the Pacific theater of war was fought in the air and how important the air force was to victory. It's rated T for Teen and is perfectly suitable for ages 13 and up. It's a great way to have some engaging and interactive family fun while also teaching some history.

6.5

Rock Band and Guitar Hero doesn't actually teach you anything. Many people, particularly musicians, take the stance that the time you spent getting good at a rhythm game could have been better spent learning how to play a real instrument.

Well, now we have the best of both worlds with a game that teaches you how to play the guitar. Rocksmith comes with a USB adapter that will work with any regular guitar, and provides an environment full of amps and effects that function to let you enjoy yourself while you slowly learn how to play your guitar over time.

For people that have never touched a guitar before, the game starts about as basic as you can get. The first thing that Rocksmith will teach you the first time you boot it up is the proper way to hold your guitar, and then moves into how to pluck and tune the strings. For people who have decided to upgrade from a more traditional rhythm game, the developers of Rocksmith have included the highway of notes that scroll by the screen at a rapid pace, although this time they are actual notes.

Most people usually give up on learning Guitar because they are just playing boring songs they don't really recognize. Rocksmith has intelligently managed to completely dodge this problem by very quickly moving from basic lessons on how to make noises come out of the guitar into very basic riffs from popular songs. This keeps new students engaged while at the same time trying to give more seasoned guitar veterans a reason to buy the game.

Sadly, it is with this audience that Rocksmith completely falls flat. The game takes forever to ramp up to the higher level lessons and more difficult songs, and there are no options for people who already know the basics of guitar playing to skip any of the basics, which will often lead to them becoming frustrated. Because of this, the only people who should really be considering Rocksmith are those people who want to learn guitar but have never started doing so.

Beyond the basic learning modes, Rocksmith also features a number of videos that show the concepts that are being taught in-game in a very simple manner that make it far more personal and easy to understand. It also features something that it calls the "Guitarcade", which has mini games that often end up feeling like someone took the basic idea behind Typing of the Dead and shoved it into a guitar game.

Rocksmith certainly is not for everyone. It requires a desire to learn that not all people have, and its certainly not enough of a "game" to play for fun, but for the price it makes a fantastic training tool for people that are new to playing guitar, and it's a lot cheaper than a real person.

Review

7.7

Some fans may have argued that the Resident Evil franchise started to steer away from it's roots beginning with Resident Evil 4 and the game developers also noticed this. Resident Evil Revelations takes the Resident Evil franchise back to it's roots. Players will have limited resources to draw from but will also face gaming moments that are chilling and will encounter monsters closeup. These techniques help to create a panicked, survival horror feeling that sticks with gamers and forces them to play the game strategically. Alongside the improvement to how the game is played, the developers also spent a lot of time detailing and texturing the monsters in the game, the characters and even down to the details of the environment itself.

Revelations takes players aboard the Queen Zenobia ship that is outside of the Arklay Mansion. Because of this, the ship's environment makes for very creepy game environments. Players are faced with dark hallways, rooms and will at times feel very uncomfortable. This eerie feeling will keep players ready and waiting for the moment they may need to fend off something. The game's sound also adds to the creepy nature of the environment. There are many moments when the game can be silent and then all of a sudden a breeze will howl through the corridors or a creature will let out a painful, scary moan off in the distance. Because of the sounds combined with the way the game plays, it will make for a truly scary experience that will freak people out and even leave some people on the edge's of their seats.

While the traditional zombies in the game have been replaced by another threat, the nature of the other threat is essentially the same as zombies. The Ooze as they are called were designed to become a biological super weapon; however after things went wrong the bodies are now lifeforms with the sole purpose of attacking and eating living beings. Besides these basic creatures, there are also other environmental elements in the gameplay that will leave people scared. The levels of the game are designed into chapters and some of the chapters end with a boss that the player must defeat. Once the chapter has been completed, the player may also choose a different character to continue with their own specific story.

This version of Resident Evil stays true to the standard controls from the previous games. This allows players to stop moving while they shoot or they may also strafe while shooting, dodge or aim their weapon. While the player can control their own actions, the same is not true for the CPU-controlled ally the player will eventually come into contact with. However, the A.I. of the ally does successfully help the player against enemies and won't unnecessarily use precious items or ammunition. Although the ally may help the player, they don't really cause that much damage to enemies so the player will more than likely have to finish the fight. This technique allows the player to get some help when needed but still allows them to feel scared knowing that the threat is still great to them.

There are a couple changes made to the co-operative mode of the game. For example, players can't play together in the main story but they may connect together online and use the Raid Mode feature. The Raid Mode allows two players to play together on certain stages of the game with stronger enemies and changes made to the regular level. Upon passing these stages, the players are given rewards points they can use to buy game weapons and items.

Review

7.7

Some fans may have argued that the Resident Evil franchise started to steer away from it's roots beginning with Resident Evil 4 and the game developers also noticed this. Resident Evil Revelations takes the Resident Evil franchise back to it's roots. Players will have limited resources to draw from but will also face gaming moments that are chilling and will encounter monsters closeup. These techniques help to create a panicked, survival horror feeling that sticks with gamers and forces them to play the game strategically. Alongside the improvement to how the game is played, the developers also spent a lot of time detailing and texturing the monsters in the game, the characters and even down to the details of the environment itself.

Revelations takes players aboard the Queen Zenobia ship that is outside of the Arklay Mansion. Because of this, the ship's environment makes for very creepy game environments. Players are faced with dark hallways, rooms and will at times feel very uncomfortable. This eerie feeling will keep players ready and waiting for the moment they may need to fend off something. The game's sound also adds to the creepy nature of the environment. There are many moments when the game can be silent and then all of a sudden a breeze will howl through the corridors or a creature will let out a painful, scary moan off in the distance. Because of the sounds combined with the way the game plays, it will make for a truly scary experience that will freak people out and even leave some people on the edge's of their seats.

While the traditional zombies in the game have been replaced by another threat, the nature of the other threat is essentially the same as zombies. The Ooze as they are called were designed to become a biological super weapon; however after things went wrong the bodies are now lifeforms with the sole purpose of attacking and eating living beings. Besides these basic creatures, there are also other environmental elements in the gameplay that will leave people scared. The levels of the game are designed into chapters and some of the chapters end with a boss that the player must defeat. Once the chapter has been completed, the player may also choose a different character to continue with their own specific story.

This version of Resident Evil stays true to the standard controls from the previous games. This allows players to stop moving while they shoot or they may also strafe while shooting, dodge or aim their weapon. While the player can control their own actions, the same is not true for the CPU-controlled ally the player will eventually come into contact with. However, the A.I. of the ally does successfully help the player against enemies and won't unnecessarily use precious items or ammunition. Although the ally may help the player, they don't really cause that much damage to enemies so the player will more than likely have to finish the fight. This technique allows the player to get some help when needed but still allows them to feel scared knowing that the threat is still great to them.

There are a couple changes made to the co-operative mode of the game. For example, players can't play together in the main story but they may connect together online and use the Raid Mode feature. The Raid Mode allows two players to play together on certain stages of the game with stronger enemies and changes made to the regular level. Upon passing these stages, the players are given rewards points they can use to buy game weapons and items.